This one will be dedicated to my soap business called Horsefeathers Creations.  I will post my soaps and products for sale, as well as recipes, hints, and interesting facts about soap and skincare.  Right now I am gearing up for Valentine's Day, so I will be posting pictures once I get my stock built up again.  I sold out of almost all my soap, lotions, bath salts, etc over the Christmas holiday, so I am thrilled about that!

Let me start by saying that I do not at this time make soap from scratch using lye.  I did begin that way, but we have a very small house, and with 3 children underfoot, safety was a huge issue.  I chose to use a base.  In the beginning, I was just trying my hand at it to see how it would go.  I used a base from a craft store to start, it was pretty harsh.  I tried a base from a supplier in Toronto, it was just awful.  I was looking for as natural as I could find, and finally I stumbled on one, and I am thrilled!  My customers love this stuff and so do I. 

It is based on ingredients from natural sources with no SLS, alcohol, propylene glycol, or triethenthalomine ( if I spelled that right!!)  It is gentle with a high level of glycerin, plus I add my own ingredients to it.  I always add vitamin E, plus I often add other oils, and I love to use calendula flowers, they make a bright and cheery bar of soap.  I use essential oils to a degree, but my customers prefer fragrance oils.  I use them very sparingly, so they are not overpowering or drying.  Yes, I know they are synthetic, but I use them in such moderation that it is not a concern to me.  I use natural colours where possible, and love making fun and funky soaps.  Even my unscented ones are made to look bright and cheery!

I also make bath fizzies ( or bath bombs, believe it or not, I had a customer tell me it is inappropriate to call them bombs, so I went with fizzies), lip balms, solid perfumes, tub teas, milk baths,and bubblers ( that is a solid bubble bath).  I also carry lotions and body wash I make from a base.  I will discuss that in another entry.  Since we are also a homeschooling family, I get lots of help from my family, which is great!

So stay tuned, as I learn more HTML and how to design this space a bit, and for my ramblings on about my discoveries in soap making!  Oh, the title of my blog (BubbleandSqueak) is also the title of a newsletter I will be creating soon. I am looking forward to starting that!

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Posted by OurLittleHomestead

Can't wait to read more! I love 'real' soap and will look forward to learning more from you about the making of it!

Blessings
Lisa

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Posted by Amber

I'm glad too, bcz now I get to see your wonderful creations! Thanks, see you around.

0:) Amber

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Posted by KimMC

Hi Ellen! Glad to see you over here :-) Can't wait to see what you do with your site.
Hugs and Blessings,
Kim

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Posted by southofthegnatline

Hey there! I am interested in learning "how to's" on soap and other things.........Last year during a project co-op, I had to teach a unit that coincided with "making soap"......I bought the lye, the lard.....and after researching the "dangers of the lye" - I was terrified to try and make it and ended up giving "resource" information out. We saw living history folks at Civil War re-enactments actually cooking their soap in big iron pots - but I've never built up the courage to get it a shot.....

oh well.
Look forward to reading more from you soon~
Harriette

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Posted by Horselover

Mom you should get one of those flicker accounts so you can post all your pics.As for HTML I can help ya.I'm beginning to become a HTML whiz!Its really easy!I still have a few things to learn but I can do the basics!

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